Growing Local Combat


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Cross Check

Growing Local Combat

Post by Cross Check »

Hi All,

I'd like this thread to be about what and what does not work as far as getting R/C Combat going in your local clubs/area.

Personally, I got interested in 2105 Scale Combat years ago through model magazine articles and by the time a Match I could possibly attend came up it was 2610.
I got the 'Hook,Line,Sinker' and the barb is set so deep I have a hard time still, comprehending anyone who does not realize how much R/C Combat is FUN !

I did the Hard Sell at my local OMFC club and through sheer arrogance, I somehow CD'd the first Onslaughts and the first Bloody April with absolutely zero help from my own club. I joined the next closest club that is more 'Combat Friendly' out of pure frustration.

It took years and help from my fellow Combat pilots to realize that I somehow was disrespectful of the other SIGs(Special Interest Groups)in my own club, and my enthusiasm/passion was a detriment to any R/C Combat closest to me. With dumb Luck, no bridges were burnt fortunately.

Here are some techniques that my fellow combat pilots have patiently been using for years, and it is paying out big time. We are close to exceeding any other SIG competition participation around here.

-Airshows. Show up with a Demo and WOW the crowds. PITA to only get one flight in, but it puts Combat on par with any other SIGs.

-FunFlys. Do a Demo then join in the limbo/spotland/whatever games. Meet other pilots who like to have fun and let them fly your planes. Usually can get 4-5 'Rounds' in. (If you want to be 'sneaky' fly 'poorly' and make it look like they can fly better than you ! HeHeHe)
Good time investment as far as flying/getting new Combat Pilots.

-Swap Meets. The biggest one here is in London and the CobbleHills guys get two tables every year. Nice thing is, any Combat Pilot can get in early with a plane to display and avoid the long lineup to get in.(Sneaky!HeHeHE) This year they built a coroWW2 as part of the display and it was a hit. Good time investment, especially if you are there year after year.

-Club Meeting Talks. Don't go in trying to 'sell' Combat. Other SIGs may feel threatened. I like to offer the topic of 'Cheap and easy construction methods used in Combat' as a way to get my foot in the door. You'll meet anyone interested at the end of the meeting.

-Flying Circuses. We try to put a Match on every year at any other club that will let us. We take care of all the logistics and basicly roll in/roll out leaving a good impression. Works good to expand into new territory.

Bottom line is keeping Combat just as respectful as any other SIG.
And having the attitude of, "The most fun you can have with a model airplane".
And there are lots of Combat Pilots out there...
They just don't know it yet !

I am curious what is and isn't working in your area...

Take care,
Have fun,
Dave'crosscheck'Fallowfield
Maac 6437
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Alex Treneff
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Post by Alex Treneff »

Hi Dave,

To grow combat in our club (started as two of us) we would let any other guys interested fly our planes in some combat. If they were watching, a little bit of "Hey, come fly my plane" would get guys to try it. Some decide they like it and some don't.

Although we don't check RPM rules and stuff in club combat, we decided to stick with 1 class of combat so that everyone would have a competitive airframe. We fly SSC because it is plenty fast and agile, yet there is hardly ever much damage, which is great, especially for fun club combat. [:D]

For the last few years there have been around 6-8 guys into it at a time. Occasionally one will move out of town or lose interest but new guys are always joining in.

Sometimes I'll build a new wing or fuselage when I have one that is a little dinged up but still plenty usable. Then I can pass the old stuff on to a guy that is interested. If he's actually interested he'll build one himself the next time around.

We fly the 4oz of fuel, 10-12 minutes or so, and each count their own cuts. There's no other score keeping or anything. At the end the guy with the most cuts gets the bragging rights for the day. [:p]

We usually fly 2-3 flights and wait for a break in the flying to do a round of combat. The rest of the club is very receptive to combat and since we're not in any hurry we just wait for an opening so we don't get in anyone else's way either. We hold one official contest each year (3rd Saturday in June) and the club is very supportive of this event also.

If you want to recruit new guys, just fly and show them how much <b>fun</b> it really is! [8D]
Cross Check

Post by Cross Check »

Hi Alex,

Your approach to getting combat going locally makes allot of (common) sense.

No Wonder, I could not figure it out ! HeHeHe

I like flying Combat.

And cannot do it on my own...

I hope this thread will foster what does and does not work getting EVERYONE's local Combat going.

Take care,
Have fun,
Dave'crosscheck'Fallowfield
Maac 6437
Unabashed Combat Team
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Blue Note
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Post by Blue Note »

Well,

I hope this is a good year for our club and the neighboring clubs for growing combat. I have decided to focus on SSC exclusively at this point due to safety and financial reasons for all involved. At our last club meeting I proposed the idea of having an organized "build clinic" where we would get together and each build a SSC combat plane as a group. I had several interested and a lot of discussion on the subject and in the end 6 participated in addition to myself for the session. We all tried to share building techniques and help each other out as we went, which really helped those less experienced builders and those not familiar with the materials used for these planes. Based on our club conditions, we opted for a durable design that had more wing area but lower wing loading than some of our other options to maximize safety and maneuverability in close quarters. Turns on a dime, but might be a little slower in the straights. Hard to tell. Hopefully, everyone that was a little intimidated at first is now more comfortable with the planes and what is required to build/rebuild them as damage occurs. Now, if we can just keep out of the trees.....

We hope to be able to do a few demo rounds at some of the other local fly-ins this year to grow more local interest at neighboring clubs. Hopefully this effort will provide a good local base of combat pilots that will make the goal of having a couple decent sized events here in East Tennessee more feasible. Keep you fingers crossed.

BNC
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David Drowns
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Re: Growing Local Combat

Post by David Drowns »

Man, I'd been busy the last few years. I hadn't seen this thread 'til now.
A few years back our local combat participation got pretty low. Seemed like we had 4 to 6 pilots that were regular. One event was scratched due to only 3 pilots.

Had to do something.

I tried to make plans available so new guys could build and participate. some did but not in the numbers I'd hoped.

Finally I started hosting "Build parties". Don't just give the new guy something to build, show them how.

Certainly by now some of the results have been noticed. California got a lot of new pilots in the past few years. Not all have stayed but the ones that have are great promoters in their own way. I figured by providing a "complete" kit and showing someone how to put it together "newbies" would feel less likely to not be able to complete it and take a chance.

Results: Dec, 2007 before the first build party. 3 regular pilots, me Butch and Pete. 3 new pilots, Tim (built Mig from plans, still flies) Mike (Tim built his plane with him, flew a few more times) and Greg (probably his only event)
Image

April, 2008 after the first build. Our big gain to combat promotion, Todd makes his debut.
Image

Just a few years later:April, 2010 Me, Pete and Tim are in the pic. I think Butch was line marshaling.
We're even pulling pilots out of retirement by now.
Image

We held build parties about 1 month before each event. Returning builders helped the newer guys. Everybody did what they could to support the growth.

I discovered by doing this that when you get an idea your willing to get behind, others will step up and help out with what they can contribute to the cause.
It probably burned me out a bit kitting so many planes but its mark has been made. Now the others (you know who you are) are promoting other planes and continuing to produce pilots.

This last season opener is the first time since beginning the build parties I haven't done one. I didn't even have time to fly this time around. Busy happens. However I think we've had a good run with the Migs. Now some variety is getting back into the mix as pilots are reaching for other designs.

So to answer the question "How do you grow local combat"?........In my opinion.......Build Parties.

Good luck. you never know who's out there to help 'til you try.
David Drowns
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Member of Palomar RC Flyers Fallbrook CA
http://pfcombat.hyperboards.com
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lightning
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Re: Growing Local Combat

Post by lightning »

Pretty convincing message David; well done!
Keith Jones
AMA CD #7601
Radio Control Club of Detroit
and proud member of the OGC
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